Accepted Manuscript

Investigation of Surface Roughness, Microhardness and White Layer Thickness in

Hard Milling of AISI 4340 Using Minimum Quantity Lubrication

Hamed Hassanpour, Mohammad H. Sadeghi, Amir Rasti, Shaghayegh Shajari

PII: S0959-6526(15)01916-2
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.12.091
Reference: JCLP 6564

To appear in: Journal of Cleaner Production

Received Date: 26 October 2015

Revised Date: 12 December 2015
Accepted Date: 26 December 2015

Please cite this article as: Hassanpour H, Sadeghi MH, Rasti A, Shajari S, Investigation of Surface
Roughness, Microhardness and White Layer Thickness in Hard Milling of AISI 4340 Using Minimum
Quantity Lubrication, Journal of Cleaner Production (2016), doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.12.091.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Investigation of Surface Roughness, Microhardness and White Layer
Thickness in Hard Milling of AISI 4340 Using Minimum Quantity
Lubrication

Hamed Hassanpour, Mohammad H Sadeghi, Amir Rasti, Shaghayegh Shajari

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Mechanical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

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Corresponding author:
Mohammad H Sadeghi, Mechanical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares

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University
P.O. Box 14115-363 Tehran, Iran,

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Phone: +98-21-82883359
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Fax: +98-21-82884909
Email: sadeghim@modares.ac.ir
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E-mail: h.hassanpour@modares.ac.ir
E-mail: a.rasti@modares.ac.ir
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E-mail: shgh.shajari @gmail.com

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Abstract
In this paper, the relationship between cutting parameters and machined surface integrity in
the hard milling of 4340 alloy steel using minimum quantity lubricant is investigated. Milling
parameters including; cutting speed, feed rate, axial and radial depth of cut were considered
in three levels. Then, the effects of these parameters on roughness, topography,
microhardness, white layer thickness and surface chemical composition were studied through

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Response Surface Methodology. The analysis of variance showed that quadratic polynomial
models are suitable to estimate the surface roughness and microhardness, while a linear

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model evaluate the variations of white layer thickness, as well. In addition, the contribution
of parameters affecting surface roughness was as follows; feed rate 49.2%, cutting speed

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23.1% and radial depth of cut 14.1%. It was found that increasing cutting speed has a
significant influence in the reduction of surface defects. Furthermore, all the cutting
parameters increased microhardness and white layer thickness. Feed rate with 73.1% and

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cutting speed with 14.4% had the most influence on microhardness, comparatively. White
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layer thickness also varied between 7.6 µm to 16.1 µm under different cutting conditions. The
cutting speed with 81.3% and feed rate with 9.4% had the most effects on the white layer
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thickness. EDS analysis of milled surface revealed that in cutting speed of 150 m/min, O
found in addition to the base material elements and C weight percent increased.
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Keywords:
Surface roughness, Microhardness, White layer, EDS analysis, Hard milling, Minimum
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Quantity Lubrication
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1. Introduction
Hard steels are widely used in heavy industries, molding and power transmissions. In
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traditional machining of these alloys, firstly, the workpiece has to be annealed or normalized.
Then, rough machining is done on the workpiece and after achieving the overall shape,
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hardening heat treatment is applied. Finally, a finishing process such as grinding is used for
the surface finish (Dogra et al., 2010).
However, the benefits of using an integrated machining process without a need for
repositioning the workpiece from one machine to another should be considered. This efficient
process was introduced in the mid-1980s with the hard turning idea and nowadays includes
various machining processes especially hard milling (Astakhov, 2011). Automotive
industry’s tendency toward hard milling improves the manufacturing of transmission
components. Gear-wheel bearing is another use of this machining method instead of using the

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grinding process. The main reason of developments in these kinds of processes is
advancements done in the production of rigid machine tools, tools with extremely high
hardness and toughness and also special tool holders (Grzesik, 2008).
In order to replace the hard milling instead of grinding, the main cutting parameters need
to be chosen correctly. Cutting parameters of hard milling have a limited acceptable range
compared to the traditional machining and wrong selection of them leads to shorter tool life

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and poor surface integrity. A workpiece surface tolerates most of imposed stresses during the
working conditions and it is also affected by many different environmental factors. Therefore,

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studying the effects of cutting parameters on manufactured surface integrity in a hard milling
process is very important. Surface integrity investigates the essence and characteristics of the

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machined surface layer and its effect on functional and mechanical properties of a workpiece
(Davim, 2010). The most important characteristics of surface integrity which could be
pointed out are roughness, topography, microhardness, white layer thickness and surface
chemical composition (Abrão et al., 2011).
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Surface roughness has a significant effect on fatigue life and other surface properties of
the final workpiece. Most of the times, it is the only criterion to decide whether the final
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product is accepted or not (Aspinwall et al., 2005). In addition, when workpiece temperature
exceeds austenization temperature (due to friction, Built-up-edge (BUE) and plastic strain)
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during the hard milling and thereafter being quenched, a transformed brittle layer, namely
white layer is created on the machined surface. In fact, the large amount of retained austenite
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in this layer creates a structure of un-tempered martensite on the machined surface and
resulted in a surface harder than the bulk material (Zhang et al., 2012).Generally, formed
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white layer on the surface has a thickness between 2 µm to 20 µm. Studies on the white layer
microstructure show that this layer has a nano-crystalline structure with a grain size between
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30 nm to 500 nm. The amorphous and white colored appearance of this layer after etching is
not caused by resisting against etchant but, it is due to proper reflection of the incident ray
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from the small grains of the surface (Harrison et al., 2007). The white layer is brittle and has
tensile residual stresses which could have deteriorative effects on functional performance,
tribological properties, corrosion resistance and fatigue life (Akcan et al., 2002).
Another important issue in machining of hard steels is a high amount of heat generated in
the shear zone. This high localized heat leads to dimensional deviations, tensile residual
stresses, surface and subsurface microcracks and rapid oxidation (Tonshoff and Brinkomeier,
1980). Therefore, right selection of cutting fluid not only increases the accuracy and surface
quality but also plays an important role in reducing the friction, cooling the shear zone and

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preventing the excessive heat generation of machining environment (Oberg and McCauley,
2004). Lubricant effectiveness strongly relies on choosing the type of the fluid and injection
system. However, using the cutting fluid is problematic due to economic and environmental
issues. The best way to reduce the negative effects of using cutting fluid is to eliminate it
completely (dry machining). Hard workpieces have the ability to be dry machined (Dawson,
2002). But, applying such an approach in the industry is faced with some limitations such as

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severe tool wear and poor surface integrity (Chou et al., 2002; Gangopadhyay et al., 2010).
Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) as an environmentally friendly process is the method

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in which, a small amount of fluid is atomized and sprayed on the cutting zone. Using this
method not only reduces the cutting fluid consumption but also eliminates dry machining

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limitations (high local temperature and high friction) (Emami et al., 2014; Hadad and
Sadeghi, 2013). Later on, some studies on surface integrity in hard steel machining will be
reviewed.

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Silva et al. (Da Silva et al., 2011) studied the effects of three different environments
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including dry, wet and MQL on tool wear rate, surface roughness and microhardness of AISI
4340 alloy steel in a milling process and proved MQL supremacy in producing a surface with
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desirable quality.
Khan et al. (Khan et al., 2009) worked on the effects of MQL method when using
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vegetable base oil and compared the result with dry and wet machining of AISI 4340 alloy
steel and realized that surface roughness decreases significantly while using the MQL
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method.
Siller et al. (Siller et al., 2009) applied a new tungsten carbide tool in milling of AISI D3
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steel with hardness of 60HRC and investigated the obtained surface quality. They observed
that a surface roughness of approximately between 0.1 µm to 0.3 µm was achievable by using
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this tool.
Ding et al. (Ding et al., 2010) studied cutting forces and surface roughness in the hard
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milling of AISI H13 steel and came to the conclusion that axial depth of cut and feed rate are
the parameters having the most effects on cutting forces and surface roughness. In optimal
conditions, the achieved surface roughness was less than 0.25 µm which indicated the high
ability of hard milling process. Also, a linear and a quadratic model were provided to
estimate cutting forces and surface roughness, respectively.
Gopalsamy et al. (Gopalsamy et al., 2009) used Taguchi and ANOVA method to find
optimal cutting conditions achieving the best surface quality and longest tool life. The results
showed that in hard milling, feed rate had the most effect on the process performance and

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final surface quality. Also, a statistical model was developed to estimate the surface
roughness and tool life.
Das et al. (Das et al., 2013) investigated surface roughness of hardened alloy steel in the
hard machining by using a coated insert tool. Feed rate, cutting speed and cutting depth were
studied and it was determined that feed rate and cutting speed have the most effects on
surface roughness.

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Schwach et al. (Schwach and Guo, 2005) studied surface integrity of AISI 52100 steel
with a hardness of 60 HRC in the turning process and observed that using a new tool and low

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feed rate could improve surface roughness and reduce white layer thickness. Furthermore,
white layer hardness was 30% higher than the workpiece bulk material.

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Chen et al. (Chen et al., 2007) compared grinding and hard milling processes on SKD11
mold steel and realized that hard milling process causes less hardness and metallurgical
variations in the machined surface due to lower temperature of the process. There were also

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compressive residual stresses on the workpiece surface and heat affected layer was much
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thinner compared to the results of the grinding process.
Liu et al. (Liu et al., 2002) studied surface integrity of machined 15 GCR bearing steel
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with a hardness of 60 HRC. The results showed that the hardened surface layer gets thicker as
workpiece hardness increases and surface roughness has a maximum value at the hardness of
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50 HRC.
Barbacki et al. (Barbacki et al., 2003) estimated the maximum thickness of the white and
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dark layers in turning of hard steel based on cutting speed, cutting depth and tool wear rate.
Investigation on the hardness variations through the thickness of the workpiece showed that
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the hardness of white layer is averagely 100 HV more than the bulk material. It was also
shown that in the hard turning, cooling does not affect the white layer thickness.
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Ko and Kim (Ko and Kim, 2001) applied discontinuous turning process on an AISI
52100 hard steel and showed that the white layer thickness is affected by the axial depth of
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cut and tool wear rate. They also concluded that generated heat in the cutting zone plays a
main role in the amplitude of residual stresses and white layer thickness.
Marques et al. (Marques et al., 2006) studied phase analysis and microhardness
distribution of a milled AISI H13 steel and no phase transformation on the specimens was
observed. There was only a thin transformed layer formed on the milled surface.
Study of literature showed that no comprehensive research works have been reported on
the effect of cutting parameters on the main characteristics of the surface integrity including;
roughness, topography, microhardness, white layer thickness and EDS analysis in the hard

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milling of 4340 alloy steel using MQL method. Therefore, in this research, surface integrity
of the mentioned steel in hard milling process is investigated by applying RSM technique.
The effects of different milling parameters (cutting speed, feed rate and axial and radial
depths of cut) on roughness, topography, microhardness, white layer thickness and surface
chemical composition are investigated. It must be mentioned that unlike the other researches
concerned with applying the MQL method which have used only one spray nozzle (Cai et al.,

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2012) in this research, two spray nozzles have been utilized.

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2. Material and Methods
In this research, 4340 alloy steel with the hardness of 450±5 HV were used. All

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specimens were austenitized at 870°C, then tempered at 425°C and finally were oil quenched
to the room temperature. Cubic workpiece samples with dimensions of 20×40×40 mm were
utilized. The chemical composition of this alloy steel is presented in table 1.

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Table 1. Chemical composition of AISI 4340 alloy steel
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All the experiments conducted on a MIKRON HSM 700 CNC milling machine center
with a maximum feed rate of 20000 mm/min and maximum spindle speed of 42000 rpm.
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Also, 2-flutes tungsten carbide flat end mills with TiAlN coating and diameter of 6 mm made
by HAMTOOLS Company were used. In order to apply MQL flow, the system shown in
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figure 1 was utilized. In this system, a compressor is employed to produce compressed air
which the pressure is adjustable by a regulator. On the other hand, the oil tank above the
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device is connected to nozzles through a narrow plastic pipe. Oil flow rate can be controlled
by changing the pump working frequency. This device is equipped with an atomizer nozzle
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which air and oil flow enter from separate routes into the nozzle. Air flow rate is much higher
than oil flow which breaks oil into small droplets at the nozzle outlet. These oil droplets
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floating in the air flow create an air-oil spray for lubricating the cutting zone. The MQL
method was applied using mineral oil with a flow rate of 240 ml/h and pressure of 6 bars. For
better performance of lubrication system, two nozzles were used with an inclination angle of
45 degrees relative to the tool axis. Experimental setup, workpiece clamping and position of
MQL nozzles are shown in figure 2.

Figure 1. MQL device used in the experiments

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Figure 2. Experimental setup and nozzle placement during hard milling process

In this research, the arithmetic mean roughness value (Ra) was considered and measured
by a portable PS1 MAHR roughness tester with the precision of 0.001 µm. In order to report
surface roughness, the average roughness of three different regions of milled samples was
calculated. The cut-off length and the sampling length were taken as 0.8 mm and 5.6 mm,

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respectively.
Microhardness measurements were done by a V-TEST BAREISS digital microhardness

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tester with the precision of 1 Vickers. The test force of 5 N was applied for 4 seconds. In each
experiment, the average hardness value for three different regions of the milled surface was

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considered as microhardness criterion (figure 3).
To measure the white layer thickness, firstly, the specimens were wire-cutted and then,
their cross sections were etched in 2% Nital acid solution (combination of 2% nitric acid and

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ethanol) for 10 seconds after being polished. Then white layer thickness was evaluated using
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DP25 Olympus light optical microscope with 1000x at 5 different points by using image
analysis software. Finally, the average values were reported as thickness value for this layer.
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Topography images of the milled surface were obtained by the same microscope.
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Figure 3. Microhardness measuring points of the milled surface for each specimen
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In the present investigation, experiments were scheduled based on RSM as a profitable

technique. RSM approach is a combination of mathematical and statistical methods which is
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used for determining the relationship between various input parameters and the response
factors (Çaydaş and Hasçalik, 2008; Sarıkaya and Güllü, 2014). Main hard milling
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parameters including cutting speed (vc), feed rate (fz), axial depth of cut (ap) and radial depth
of cut (ae) were changed in three different levels in order to investigate the effect of hard
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milling process on surface integrity characteristics of 4340 alloy steel. The range of
parameters values was also selected according to recommended ranges within cutting tools
catalogue. The other reason for choosing these parameters was the widespread use of them by
researchers. Milling parameters, number of the levels and their values are presented in table
2. Based on RSM technique, 30 tests were done. Tests were performed randomly to prevent
errors. In each test 120 mm of workpiece length was milled under down milling strategy.

Table 2. Main parameters of the hard milling experiments and variations levels

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3. Results and Discussion

As mentioned before, a series of 30 tests were performed and the output characteristics
of surface roughness (Ra), surface microhardness (H) and white layer thickness (WLT) of the
milled samples were measured for each test. All cutting parameters and measured output
characteristics related to each test are presented in table 3. In order to analyze the results

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more accurately and significance of the parameters, ANOVA method was used. To estimate
the regression coefficients, least squares method was utilized. Firstly, a quadratic model

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including all the main parameters, two level interactions and second order of the parameters
were developed and then, insignificant factors were considered as errors. Later on, each of

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the output characteristics will be analyzed separately.

Table 3. The DOE matrix of RSM technique and its results

3.1.Surface Roughness
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Table 4 shows the analysis of variance for the developed model to estimate surface
roughness after omitting the insignificant parameters. According to this table, the P-Value
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less than 0.05 (reliability more than 95%) indicates significance of the related factor. Results
show that all of the main parameters, interaction of feed rate with radial depth of cut and the
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cutting speed, plus to the second power of radial depth of cut have significant effects. The
Radj value of the final model was 95.4% which means that the fitted regression model covers
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the variations of surface roughness up to 95.4%. On the other hand, the P-Value for lack-of-
fit factor proved that this factor is insignificant.
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The contribution of each factor in the developed model was calculated by dividing the
sum of squares of the relevant factor by total sum of squares of the model. The result of the
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statistical analysis showed that feed rate with 49.2%, cutting speed with 23.1%, radial depth
of cut with 14.1% and axial depth of cut with 4% have the most effects on the surface
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roughness, respectively.
Figure 4(a) also shows that the residual values of developed model have a relatively
good distribution compared to the predicted values and figure 4(b) also shows that these
residual values have a normal distribution.

Table 4. The analysis of variance for surface roughness model

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Figure 4. The graph of residual values for surface roughness model a) residual values with
respect to the fitted values b) normal distribution of residual values

Figure 5 illustrates the effect of hard milling parameters on the mean surface roughness.
According to figure 5 (a) and (b), the effects of axial and radial depths of cut have the same
trend on surface roughness. In fact, increasing the radial and axial depth of cuts lead to higher

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amount of material removal rate and vibrations which consequently increasing the surface
roughness. Minor differences between the effects of these two factors could be due to

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differences between their values and their variation ranges. By increasing cutting speed,
surface roughness decreases (Figure 5 (c)). This phenomenon is due to thermal softening of

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the workpiece material and easier plastic deformation at higher temperatures which leads to
lower friction and cutting forces (Saini et al., 2012). Ultimately, lower forces result in a more
stable process and improved surface quality (Yallese et al., 2009). Effects of feed rate on

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surface roughness are presented in figure 5 (d). It can be pointed out that as the feed rate
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increases, surface roughness increases as well. In fact, the un-cut chip thickness is increased
at higher feed rates and subsequently, surface roughness increases as a result of higher cutting
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forces and vibration.

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Figure 5. Surface roughness changes versus cutting parameters a) axial depth of cut b) radial
depth of cut c) cutting speed d) feed rate
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Interaction of feed rate with radial depth of cut and cutting speed also has significant
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effects and their response surface graph are shown in figure. 6. According to this figure, at
higher levels of feed rate, the variations rates of cutting speed and radial depth of cut and also
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the amount of their effectiveness is higher. Furthermore, it can be seen in figure 6 (a) that in
the low level of feed rate, as the radial depth of cut increases, the surface roughness improves
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slightly and then, increases as well. This improvement in roughness may be due to the
elimination of plowing effect. The plowing phenomenon occurs in low cutting depth and feed
rate due to less un-cut chip thickness which leads to anisotropic plastic flow of material and
generates damaged surface (Cui et al., 2012). As the feed rate increases, this effect is
eliminated.

Figure 6. Surface response of significant interactions of cutting parameters on surface

roughness a) radial depth of cut and feed rate b) cutting speed and feed rate

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According to the developed model, a mathematical equation is obtained for estimating

surface roughness (Eq. (1)). Figure 7 shows the comparison between the results predicted by
this formula and the actual values of surface roughness. This graph indicates a very good
estimation of the actual amount of surface roughness by the developed model. The average
estimated error was 3.75% and the maximum error of the model was 12.2%.

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Ra=0.79694+0.08ap-0.29722ae-0.00138889vc+10.41667fz+2.375ae×fz-0.04vc×fz+0.079722 ae2 (1)

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Figure 7. Comparison of experimental and predicted values of surface roughness

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3.2.Surface Topography
The other important aspect of surface integrity in milling is surface topography, which

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represents craters, defects and non-uniformity created in 3D on the surface after milling
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(Smith, 2002; Suresh et al., 2013; Yang and Liu, 2015). Figure 8 illustrates the surface
topography of the hard milled surface in three cutting speed of 50, 100 and 150 m/min and in
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feed rate of 0.04 mm/tooth. The track of tool path is obvious in machined surfaces. In these
images for low cutting speed (50 m/min), valleys, surface smears and tears can be observed.
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It can also be seen that in the moderate speed (100 m/min), the amount of these defects
reduces and when using higher speeds (150 m/min), more uniform and smoother surface
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accompanied with fewer defects creates.

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Figure 8. Surface topography of the hard milled surface in feed rate of 0.04 mm/tooth and for
cutting speed of a) 50 m/min b) 100 m/min c) 150 m/min
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3.3.Surface Microhardness
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The obtained values of surface microhardness indicate that the hardness of milled surface
is higher than the bulk material, regardless of cutting conditions. The microhardness
magnitudes varied between 470 to 607 Vickers with the change in the cutting conditions,
which accounted for the significant effects of cutting parameters on the surface
microhardness.
Analysis of variance for the model developed to estimate microhardness is shown in
Table 5. The Radj value for this model was 94.5%. According to this analysis, all of the main
parameters except radial depth of cut, interaction of feed rate and cutting speed plus to second

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order of axial depth of cut have significant effects. P-value for lack-of-fit factor proves that
this factor is insignificant. In addition, feed rate with 73.1%, cutting speed with 14.4% and
axial depth of cut with only 5.1% have the maximum effects on surface microhardness,
respectively.
Figure 9 (a) also shows that the residual values in estimated model have a fairly good
distribution compared to fitted values and figure 9 (b) shows that the residual values have a

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normal distribution.

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Table 5. The analysis of variance for microhardness model of milled surface

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Figure 9. Residual graphs for microhardness model a) residual values versus fitted values b)
normal distribution of residual values

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The variation trend of mean microhardness in terms of hard milling parameters is
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presented in figure 10. It can be observed that all cutting parameters have an increasing effect
on surface microhardness. Hardness variations of the milled surface can be explained by three
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fundamental mechanisms. In the first mechanism, intense temperature gradient of the shear
zone causes a material phase transformation which followed by rapid quenching and will
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result in hardness increasing. The second mechanism is grains refinement and

recrystallization due to severe plastic deformation caused by mechanical work and work
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hardening phenomenon. The third mechanism also includes environmental reactions such as
oxidation or nitridation between the machined surface and ambient (Duan et al., 2013). To
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put them all together, the effectiveness level of these mechanisms and their interference with
each other determine the final surface hardness.
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According to figure 10 (a) and (b), axial and radial depths of cut have fewer effects on
increasing surface microhardness rather than two other parameters. This slight change is due
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to increased contact area between the tool and workpiece which leads to more work
hardening and hence, hardness rises. Increasing cutting speed also hardened machined
surface (figure 10 c). This phenomenon which is due to increased temperature of the shear
zone, creates a phase transformation and subsequently, rapid cooling which increases the
surface hardness (according to the first mechanism explained) (Chou and Evans, 1999). In
figure 10 (d), microhardness variations versus feed rate are depicted. According to this graph,
as the feed rate changes from 0.02 mm/tooth to 0.06 mm/tooth, the machined surface
hardness varies from 490 HV to 575 HV. In fact, the workpiece surface experiences higher

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strain rates in higher feed rates and consequently, machining forces and work hardening
increases. Therefore, surface hardness increases as well (Ezilarasan and Velayudham, 2013).
Interaction of axial depth of cut with feed rate has a significant effect which its response
surface is presented in figure 11. As it can be observed in this graph, as the axial depth of cut
increases in low levels of feed rate, there is a slight drop in microhardness trend. But, it is
followed by an increase afterward. This slight drop may be due to the elimination of plowing

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effect. The plowing effect can cause anisotropic plastic flow in the material which increases
surface hardness.

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Figure 10. Microhardness variations of milled surface versus cutting parameters a) axial

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depth of cut b) radial depth of cut c) cutting speed d) feed rate

Figure 11. Response surface of interaction between axial depth of cut and feed rate on milled

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surface microhardness
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According to the developed model, an empirical equation for estimating surface
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microhardness is obtained as Eq. (2). Figure 10 compares the predicted results by the
developed model with actual values of surface microhardness in each test. This graph
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illustrates appropriate estimation of microhardness values by the developed model. The

average estimated error was 1.18% and the maximum error of the model was 5%.
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H=444.25-87.47222ap+0.37333vc+1677.08333fz+456.25ap×fz+42.88889ap2 (2)
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Figure 12. The comparison between experimental and predicted values of surface
microhardness
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3.4.White Layer Thickness

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The results represent white layer formation regardless of cutting conditions, in all milling
experiments. Also, the thickness of this layer varies from 7.6 µm to 16.1 µm. Table 6 shows
the analysis of variance for developed model used to estimate white layer thickness. Results
indicate that only two parameters of cutting speed and feed rate are effective and have
significant effects. The Radj value of the final model was 90.5%. In addition, P-Value of the
lack-of-fit factor proved its insignificancy. Statistical analysis illustrates that cutting speed
with 81.3% and feed rate with 9.4% have the most effects on the white layer thickness,
respectively. Figure 13 (a) shows that residual values of estimated model of white layer

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thickness have a fairly good distribution compared to fitted values and figure 13 (b) also
shows normal distribution of residual values. White layer formation is due to a combination
of two major mechanisms. The first one is rapid plastic deformation which leads to grain
refinement and the second one is metallurgical phase transformations due to intense thermal
gradient (Aramcharoen and Mativenga, 2008). A cutting process that generates a high amount
of heat and pressure on the surface may cause both of the mentioned mechanisms and leads to

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a thicker white layer. Figure.14 illustrates a created white layer sample and the thickness
measuring method which is used for the test number 23.

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Table 6. The analysis of variance for white layer thickness model

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Figure 13. The Residual graph for white layer thickness model a) residual values versus fitted
values b) normal distribution of residual values

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The effect of cutting parameters on white layer thickness is also shown in figure 15. It
can be observed that axial and radial depths of cut have slight effects on the white layer
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thickness (Figure 15 (a) and (b)). In addition, as the feed rate and cutting speed increase, the
thickness of this layer increases intensely (figure 15 (c) and (d)). In fact, white layer is a layer
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which exposed to the temperature above the austenitizing temperature and is quenched at
room temperature (Schwach and Guo, 2005). When higher feed rate and higher cutting speed
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ranges are used, a thicker layer of the material exceeds the austenitizing temperature and, as a
result, a thicker white layer will be created (Umbrello, 2011). Increasing cutting speed from
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50 m/min to 150 m/min increases the white layer thickness from 9.04 µm to 14.52 µm (60%).
Furthermore, as the strain rate rises in higher feed rates, a thicker layer is affected by work
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hardening and deformation caused by milling process, which also increase white layer
thickness. In addition, feed rate variations from 0.02 mm/tooth to 0.06 mm/tooth increase this
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layer thickness from 10.93 µm to 12.8 µm (17%).

Based on the developed model, an empirical equation for estimating white layer
thickness is obtained as Eq. (3). Figure 16 compares the predicted results by the developed
model with actual values of white layer thickness in each test. This graph illustrates
appropriate estimation of real white layer thickness values by the developed model. The
average estimated error was 5.2% and the maximum error of the model was 15.69%.

Figure14. Formed white layer and measuring method in the test number of 23

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Figure15. White layer thickness variations versus cutting parameters a) axial depth of cut b)
radial depth of cut c) cutting speed d) feed rate

WLT=4.64222+0.054778vc+46.66667fz (3)

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Figure 16. The comparison of experimental and predicted values of white layer thickness

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3.5.EDS Analysis
EDS analysis is done in order to investigate the chemical composition of the milled

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surface and their weight percent in different cutting conditions. Figure 17 shows the chemical
composition of the workpiece surface in two different cutting speeds including; 50 and 150
m/min in feed rate of 0.04 mm/tooth.

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As it is obvious, no exterior element is identified on the surface at cutting speed of 50
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m/min (figure 17 (a)). By increasing cutting speed to 150 m/min, O is detected on the
workpiece surface in addition to the base material elements (figure 17 (b)). The presence of O
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as an oxidation factor shows that the surface temperature is in order of 900°C at this speed
(Trent and Wright, 2000). In addition, C weight percent is increased on the surface. This
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significant increase of C weight percent on the milled surface might be the result of retained
austenite and decomposition of mineral based lubricant on the surface and diffusion of C to
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the workpiece.
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Figure 17. EDS analysis of milled surface in feed rate of 0.04 mm/tooth and cutting speed of
a) 50 m/min b) 150 m/min
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4. Conclusion
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In this research, hard milling of 4340 alloy steel using MQL system is investigated and
the effects of this process on surface roughness, microhardness and white layer thickness are
determined by applying RSM design of experiment method (DOE). The obtained results are
summarized below:
1- The analysis of variance showed that quadratic polynomial models estimate the
surface roughness and microhardness perfectly, while a linear model evaluate the
variations of white layer thickness, as well.

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2- Statistical analysis showed that feed rate with 49.2%, cutting speed with 23.1%,
radial depth of cut with 14.1% and axial depth of cut with 4% had the most effects on
the surface roughness, respectively. Also, cutting conditions including maximum
cutting speed, minimum feed rate and low depth of cut resulted in minimum surface
roughness.
3- All hard milling parameters had an increasing effect on microhardness. Also, feed

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rate with 73.1%, cutting speed with 14.4% and axial depth of cut with only 5.1%
affected microhardness.

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4- White layer thickness created by the hard milling changed from 7.6 µm up to 16.1
µm as the cutting condition changed. The cutting speed with 81.3% and feed rate

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with 9.4% were the only parameters which affected the white layer thickness.
5- EDS analysis showed that at cutting speed of 150 m/min O was detected on the
machined surface in addition to the base material composition which shows

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deposition of the oxidation layer on the surface. C weight percent was also increased
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at higher cutting speeds.
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machined surfaces by microhardness and residual stress analysis. Annals of the CIRP 29, 519-530.
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Table 1. Chemical composition of AISI 4340 alloy steel

Element Wt. (%)

C 0.38
Ni 1.74
Cr 0.97
Mn 0.61
Mo 0.72
Si 0.45

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Fe Balance

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Figure 1. MQL device used in the experiments

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Figure 2. Experimental setup and nozzle placement during hard milling process

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Figure 3. Microhardness measuring points of the milled surface for each specimen

Table 2. Main parameters of the hard milling experiments and variations levels

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Levels
Factors
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

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Axial Depth of Cut (ap) (mm) 0.5 1 1.5
Radial Depth of Cut (ae) (mm) 1 2 3
Feed Rate (fz) (mm/tooth) 0.02 0.04 0.06
Cutting Speed (Vc) (m/min) 50 100 150

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Table 3. The DOE matrix of RSM technique and its results
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Experiment Ra H WLT
aP ae VC fZ
no. (µm) (Hv) (µm)
1 1.5 1 50 0.02 0.81 479 9.4
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2 1 2 100 0.04 0.93 519 13

3 1 2 100 0.04 0.89 522 13.5
4 0.5 3 50 0.02 0.83 472 7.6
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5 1.5 1 150 0.06 0.93 602 15.5

6 0.5 3 150 0.02 0.69 498 14.4
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7 0.5 1 150 0.02 0.55 510 12.7

8 1.5 3 50 0.06 1.61 574 10.5
9 1 2 100 0.04 0.95 531 12.9
10 0.5 1 50 0.02 0.79 470 8.7
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11 1.5 3 150 0.06 1.21 607 15.6

12 1.5 3 50 0.02 1.03 478 8.1
13 1 2 100 0.04 0.81 524 11.9
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14 0.5 3 150 0.06 1.08 596 16.1

15 0.5 1 150 0.06 0.89 589 15.5
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16 0.5 1 50 0.06 1.2 534 8.8

17 0.5 3 50 0.06 1.59 541 9.6
18 1.5 1 50 0.06 1.19 568 10.5
19 1.5 3 150 0.02 0.75 509 13.3
20 1.5 1 150 0.02 0.63 502 13.1
21 0.5 2 100 0.04 0.79 513 11.8
22 1.5 2 100 0.04 0.97 553 12.5
23 1 2 150 0.04 0.74 537 14.5
24 1 3 100 0.04 1.16 522 13.1
25 1 2 100 0.04 0.92 533 11.6
26 1 2 100 0.02 0.73 492 11.1
27 1 2 50 0.04 1.11 498 8.2

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28 1 2 100 0.04 0.94 526 12.2
29 1 2 100 0.06 1.13 567 13.1
30 1 1 100 0.04 0.86 497 10.8

Table 4. The analysis of variance for surface roughness model

Sum of contribution
Source DOF F-Value P-value
Squares %
ap 0.069 1 10.46 0.0038 3.96
ae 0.245 1 89.00 < 0.0001 14.07

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vc 0.402 1 146.03 < 0.0001 23.08
fz 0.858 1 326.13 < 0.0001 49.25
ae x fz 0.036 1 13.11 0.0015 2.07

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vc x fz 0.026 1 9.30 0.0059 1.47
2
ae 0.046 1 16.62 0.0005 2.63
Residual 0.061 22 3.48

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Lack-of-Fit 0.047 17 1.04 0.53
Error 0.013 5
Total 1.742 29 100

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0.05 95
90
80
Residual

70
0.00 60
%

50
40
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30
-0.05 20
10
5
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-0.10 1
0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 -0.10 -0.05 0.00 0.05 0.10
Fitted Value Residual
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(a) (b)
Figure 4. The graph of residual values for surface roughness model a) residual values with
respect to the fitted values b) normal distribution of residual values
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1.3 1.3
1.2 1.2
Ra (µm)

Ra (µm)

1.1 1.1
C

1.0 1.0
0.9 0.9
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0.8 0.8
0.7 0.7
0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 1 2 3
ap (mm) ae (mm)
(a) (b)

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1.3 1.3
1.2 1.2
Ra (µm)

Ra (µm)
1.1 1.1
1.0 1.0
0.9 0.9
0.8 0.8
0.7 0.7
50 100 150 0.02 0.04 0.06

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Vc (m/min) fz (mm/tooth)
(c) (d)
Figure 5. Surface roughness changes versus cutting parameters a) axial depth of cut b) radial
depth of cut c) cutting speed d) feed rate

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1.4

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1.2
Ra (µm)
1 .0
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0.06
0.8
0.0 4
fz (mm/ to o th)
1
2 0.02
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3
ae (mm)
(a)
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(b)
Figure 6. Surface response of significant interactions of cutting parameters on surface
roughness a) radial depth of cut and feed rate b) cutting speed and feed rate

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1.9
Predicted values Actual values
1.7
1.5

Ra (µm)
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.7

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0.5
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29
Experiment No.
Figure 7. Comparison of experimental and predicted values of surface roughness

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(a) (b)
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(c)
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Figure 8. Surface topography of the hard milled surface in feed rate of 0.04 mm/tooth and for
cutting speed of a) 50 m/min b) 100 m/min c) 150 m/min
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Table 5. The analysis of variance for microhardness model of milled surface

Sum of contribution
Source DOF F-Value P-value
Squares %
ap 2233.40 1 14.73 0.001 5.14
vc 6272.00 1 74.92 0 14.44
fz 31768.00 1 391.42 0 73.13
ap2 827.8 1.00 9.89 0.004 1.91
ap ×fz 333.10 1 3.98 0.058 0.77
Residual 2009.2 24 4.62
Lack-of-Fit 1866.30 19 3.44 0.088
Error 142.8 5.00

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Total 43443.4 29 100.00
20 99

95
10 90
80
70
Residual

0
60

%
50
40
-10 30
20
-20 10

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5

-30 1
450 475 500 525 550 575 600 625 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20
Fitted Value Residual

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(a) (b)
Figure 9. Residual graphs for microhardness model a) residual values versus fitted values b)
normal distribution of residual values

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580
570
560
550

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540
H (Hv)

H (Hv)

530 520
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510 500

490 480
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0.5 1 1.5 1 2 3
ap (mm) ae (mm)
(a) (b)
580 580
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560 560
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540 540
H (Hv)

H (Hv)

520 520
EP

500 500

480 480
50 100 150 0.02 0.04 0.06
Vc (m/min) fz (mm/tooth)
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(c) (d)
Figure 10. Microhardness variations of milled surface versus cutting parameters a) axial
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depth of cut b) radial depth of cut c) cutting speed d) feed rate

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Figure 11. Response surface of interaction between axial depth of cut and feed rate on milled
surface microhardness

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Actual values Predicted values
610
H (HV)

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560
AN
510
M

460
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29
Experiment No.
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Figure 12. The comparison between experimental and predicted values of surface
microhardness
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Table 6. The analysis of variance for white layer thickness model

Sum of contribution
Source DOF F-Value P-value
EP

Squares %
vc 135.027 1 237.55 < 0.0001 81.31
fz 15.68 1 27.59 < 0.0001 9.44
Residual 15.347 27 9.24
C

Lack-of-Fit 12.679 22 1.08 0.517

Error 0.534 5
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Total 166.055 29 100.00

1.5 99

1.0 95
90
0.5 80
Residual

70
0.0 60
%

50
40
-0.5 30
20
-1.0
10
-1.5 5
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Fitted Value 1
-2 -1 0 1 2
(a) Residual

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(b)
Figure 13. The Residual graph for white layer thickness model a) residual values versus fitted
values b) normal distribution of residual values

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Figure14. Formed white layer and measuring method in the test number of 23

15 15
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14 14
WLT (µm)

WLT (µm)

13 13
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12 12
11 11
10 10
EP

9 9
0.5 1 1.5 1 2 3
ap (mm) ae (mm)
C

(a) (b)
15 15
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14 14
WLT (µm)

WLT (µm)

13 13
12 12
11 11
10 10
9 9
50 100 150 0.02 0.04 0.06
Vc (m/min) fz (mm /tooth)
(c) (d)
Figure15. White layer thickness variations versus cutting parameters a) axial depth of cut b)
radial depth of cut c) cutting speed d) feed rate

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20
Actual values Predicted values

15

WLT (µm) 10

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0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29
Experiment No.

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Figure 16. The comparison of experimental and predicted values of white layer thickness

FeLα

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FeKα

2000
MnLα

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1500
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CrLα

1000 NiLα
M

500
MoLβ MnKα
MoLα CrKβ FeKβ
SiKα CrKα
C Kα
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NiKα NiKβ
MnKβ keV
0
0 5 10

Element C Si Cr Mn Fe Ni Mo
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W% 2.12 0.59 1.41 0.53 92.46 1.98 0.91

(a)
FeLα FeKα
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2000

MnLα
1500
C

CrLα
O Kα
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1000
NiLα

500
MoLβ MnKα
MoLα FeKβ
C Kα CrKβ
SiKα CrKα
NiKα NiKβ
MnKβ keV
0
0 5 10

Element C O Cr Mn Si Fe Ni Mo
W% 9.48 3.511.15 0.55
0.79 81.78 1.88 0.86
(b)
Figure 17. EDS analysis of milled surface in feed rate of 0.04 mm/tooth and cutting speed of
a) 50 m/min b) 150 m/min

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Research Highlights

1- Studying of main characteristics of surface integrity in hard

milling of AISI4340.

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2- Feed rate with 73.1% and cutting speed with 14.4% had the
most influence on microhardness.

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3- Evaluation of all four milling parameters on white layer of
hardened steel for the first.

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4- Quadratic models estimate the roughness and microhardness
while a linear model evaluate the white layer.

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5- At the cutting speed of 150 m/min O detected and C weight
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percent increased.
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